


I won't say (I'm in love)

by UndeadRobins



Category: S.C.I.谜案集 | S.C.I. Mystery (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:55:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28753248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UndeadRobins/pseuds/UndeadRobins
Summary: It's common knowledge that Prince Yutong is a flirt.No one knows it better than his best-friend-turned-personal-assistant, Zhan Yao, who's been in love with him for years.
Relationships: Bai Yutong/Zhan Yao
Comments: 2
Kudos: 55





	I won't say (I'm in love)

**Author's Note:**

> I have no excuses for this, except that sometimes we write things for our own gratuitous pleasure. And also, Gao Hanyu looks really, REALLY, good in a tuxedo.

“It’s time to go, your highness.”

“Don’t give me that highness crap, Zhan Yao. You only call me that when you’re pissed off at me.” Yutong, first son and heir to the throne, leaned against the door frame, his bowtie hanging loose around his neck, his expression teasing, despite the sharpness of his words. “We’re not going to be late.”

Zhan Yao sighed. There were many aspects of his job that he enjoyed; it was truly an honour to be of service to the royal family and he counted his blessings on many occasions. But when the prince was in one of these moods, the type that involved teasing and playfulness, it was an impossible task. They’d been friends for many years before he’d fallen into the more formal role of personal assistant, but Yutong had no interest in keeping their relationship purely business. It fell to Zhan Yao, as always, to be the one to pull away. 

“You’re not even close to being ready, Yutong,” he said, stressing the prince’s name, but keeping his tone formal and insistent. He glanced at his watch, mainly as a way to avoid looking his charge up and down for the hundredth time. Prince Yutong always looked good – and he knew it – but he was stunning when he dressed up. His black tuxedo pants were a perfect fit, even if they did disguise the solid muscles of his thighs Zhan Yao knew hid beneath the material. On the other hand, his shirt was tight enough to blatantly accentuate his arms and shoulders. There was a good chance that before the end of the evening the prince would remove his jacket and roll the sleeves up to expose his forearms. Every tabloid reporter at the event would be swooning within a few minutes. Most of the guests would be too, although they were likely to be a little more subtle about it.

Even the loosened tie gave him a roguish air that fitted the cocky public persona he liked to cultivate. 

He tugged the offending item from around his neck and swung it on his finger. “Can you help me with my tie?”

Zhan Yao bit back a sigh. This was something of a game – a ridiculous one – but a game nonetheless. Yutong insisted that he had no idea how to tie it himself, despite Zhan Yao knowing full well that was a lie, and would ask Zhan Yao to do it every time. They both knew the truth, and they both continued this game. 

Zhan Yao hated and loved this in equal parts.

He stepped towards Yutong, taking the tie from his hand and ignoring the smug grin aimed his way. He moved close enough to reach around Yutong’s neck and loop the band of material under the collar of his shirt. It would have been easier to stand behind Yutong and fasten the tie as though he was tying it on himself, but pressing himself against Yutong’s back led to a whole mess of emotions that Zhan Yao wasn’t prepared to deal with – this was difficult enough as it was. They were only a few inches apart, Zhan Yao’s deft hands twisting the tie to form the perfect bow, as Yutong stared directly at him. Zhan Yao tried to ignore the fluttering of his stomach, concentrating on the feel of the satin material beneath his fingers, instead of the smile on Yutong’s face and the warmth of his breath. 

Zhan Yao finished and stepped back. Yutong gave a soft smile, his eyes still fixed on Zhan Yao, and licked his lips. 

“Perfect.”

That moment right there. That was the absolute worst part about this. Prince Yutong, the most eligible bachelor in the country, blatantly flirting with his personal assistant in the exact same way he flirted with every available person he encountered. As though Zhan Yao was just one more person to charm. As though he was as unimportant as every one of those people whose names he forgot almost immediately.

The only thing that prevented Zhan Yao from hating him (other than the fact that he could never possibly hate the man that he’d been in love with for more than ten years) was the fact that Yutong clearly had no idea he was breaking Zhan Yao’s heart every time. He may be a little self-centred, and he was definitely a flirt and a thrill-seeker, but he was never cruel. Not to Zhan Yao and not to anyone else.

It was only years of practice that allowed Zhan Yao to keep his expression neutral. 

He turned around and walked into the bedroom to retrieve the tuxedo jacket from where Yutong had left it, giving himself a moment to take a deep breath and pretend he couldn’t still feel Yutong’s eyes on him. He’d thought the pain would start to ease as they got older, as he fell more comfortably into his role, as Yutong settled down. Instead, it only got worse, and Zhan Yao feared that one day he wouldn’t be able to hide his feelings. He knew that when that happened, he’d have to leave Yutong’s side. He prayed that day wouldn’t come.

“I thought you said we were going to be late?” Yutong stood in the doorway, his head tilted slightly. His artfully tussled hair fell into his eyes and he looked up at Zhan Yao from between the strands, making him look so much younger. The last time he’d looked like that was back when they were both sixteen and tipsy on a couple of cans of cheap beer, sitting on the stable roof. Zhan Yao’s fingers were halfway to his own lips before he realised what he was doing and pulled back. Those days were long gone.

“I’m sorry.” Zhan Yao held the jacket out. He tried to ignore the way their fingers brushed when Yutong took it from him, and resolutely turned his head away as Yutong slipped his arms into it, pretending to give a last check around the room. He knew the shape of those shoulders and those arms as well as he knew his own name. He didn’t need another reminder tonight of what he couldn’t have. 

“Thank you, kitten,” Yutong smiled at him, using the nickname he’d given Zhan Yao when they were children playing together. He knew full well the effect it had on Zhan Yao. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’d probably be late to every appointment, your royal mouseness.” It was impossible to keep himself on the right side of that fine line when Yutong was being like this. It was far too easy to slide back over towards friendship instead of employment and one day it would get the pair of them in trouble. “So if you’re quite ready, I think it’s time for us to leave.”

Yutong held his arm out as though Zhan Yao was a princess waiting for an escort. Zhan Yao shook his head, both amused and a little flattered, if he was honest with himself, and slipped his hand onto the offered arm. 

“Absolutely,” Yutong said, patting Zhan Yao’s hand. “I definitely don’t want to be late when I have such an attractive date on my arm.”

Zhan Yao let himself be escorted out of the room, trying not to think about how utterly screwed he was.


End file.
